IT’S A BALL WORLD AFTER ALL

Ball of Presidents — For the second time this season, Bruin Freshman Lonzo Ball is named Pac-12 Player of the Week, after he leads UCLA to Fantasyland, with Jungle Cruises over the (Donald) Ducks and the Goofy Beavers

It’s not exactly scaling the Matterhorn, but UCLA turned Pauley Pavilion from a Haunted Mansion to the Happiest Place on Earth last week when Lonzo Ball pulled the Bruins up from a 19-point deficit to beat highly-ranked Oregon. Then Ball led the Bruins on a Wild Ride past the pesky Oregon State Beavers to give them a Splashy weekend sweep that saw the Bruins ascend to #5 & #6 in the National Polls. Ball and the Bruins were worth waiting in line, to ride this E-Ticket ride that is the UCLA Basketball Star Tour.

You’d have to be a Pirate in the Caribbean to not be aware of how good Lonzo Ball is. He is now considered to be one of the best players in the Country, and possibly even the first pick in the next NBA Draft. To win the Player of the Week Award last week for the second time this year, Lonzo averaged 18.5 Points, 8.5 Rebounds, and 5 Assists per game. But it’s the intangibles behind the numbers that make him so valuable. His unselfishness, his leadership, and his positive attitude carry his teammates. And lately, Lonzo has turned it up a notch in terms of Offensive firepower. Now when the Bruins really need a bucket, the Defense can’t play him to pass — they have to respect his ability to take it to the hoop himself. That makes the defenses more vulnerable, and has been a big reason the Bruins have the Pac-12’s longest active winning streak at 4.

So yes, Lonzo is a stud — Everything he was hyped up to be. BUT… can he beat SC?? He is 0-1 against the crosstown rival, with a chance to even that record up on Saturday. If his team fails, all the personal accolades will not be worth the value of a Trump University diploma — which is worth only slightly more than one from Figueroa Tech.

OK — From something worth nothing to something worth everything: Here are 61 more photos of the UCLA Spirit Squad from last Sunday (with about 69 more probably to be posted tomorrow night). Please enjoy.

I know this looks like a repeat, but it isn’t.

This one also looks just like a shot from the last article, but it isn’t. Check out the background for proof.